First Spinjitzu Master
The First Spinjitzu Master was the creator of Spinjitzu and all of Ninjago. He was also the father of Garmadon and Wu, Misako's father-in-law, and Lloyd's paternal grandfather. He was born from the worlds of both the Oni and the Dragons, the warring sides of a seemingly never-ending conflict within the first realm. Unwilling to choose a side, he abandoned his original world to create the realm of Ninjago using the Golden Weapons. After defeating a dark entity of pure evil, the Overlord, and splitting the land into two halves, he empowered humans with Elemental Powers to become his guardians. Eventually, he fathered two sons, Wu and Garmadon, and entrusted them with defending the Golden Weapons. Shortly before his demise, he sealed himself into a tomb deep in the Endless Sea, where the Realm Crystal was also stored away. After the Oni were vanquished by the efforts of the Ninja and his sons, the First Spinjitzu Master summoned Lloyd to an unknown place in order to thank him for saving Ninjago. He is the Overlord's arch nemesis. Starting from the "The Gilded Path", he is voiced by Jim Conrad. Biography Past Long before time had a name, the First Spinjitzu Master was born in the Realm of Oni and Dragons. Here, he was a hybrid of both the Oni and the Dragons. Eventually, he bonded with the mother of all Dragons, the Firstbourne. Together, they created the Dragon Armor, and sought to unite the two races of the realm, and end their war. After the two sides refused to end the war, the First Spinjitzu Master realized that even he could not end the conflict between the two races and left the Realm of Oni and Dragons and went on to create Ninjago, leaving Firstbourne behind to guard the Dragon Armor and hoping for his return. The First Spinjitzu Master created the Realm Crystal to traverse the Sixteen Realms, except the Departed Realm. Forming Ninjago More importantly, he forged the Four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu in the Temple of Light using gold from the Golden Peaks. With the weapons, he created the island of Ninjago, including the Serpentine deep in the earth. The new land was at peace for a while, but Darkness eventually manifested to counterbalance the light of Ninjago. From the darkness came an evil creature known as "the Overlord," who challenged the First Spinjitzu Master to battle for the fate of the world. The First Spinjitzu Master fought the Overlord for a long time, with neither gaining the upper hand. Eventually, the Overlord created an indestructible army to aid him, nearly overwhelming the First Spinjitzu Master. To save the world from the grip of darkness, the First Spinjitzu Master used his powers to split Ninjago in two, destroying the Overlord's physical form and trapping the villain on what would come to be known as the Island of Darkness. This act balanced the forces of light and shadow, ensuring that the Overlord could never return to Ninjago. With the Overlord defeated, the First Spinjitzu Master was able to seal away the dormant Stone Army in an indestructible tomb, which he buried deep beneath what would eventually become Ninjago City. At some point he traveled to the Island of Darkness to hide his Golden Mech in the Temple of Light, and gifted Elemental Powers to a select few to serve as their guardians, ensuring that their Elemental Powers would be passed to their descendants. The First Spinjitzu Master later settled in the Monastery of Spinjitzu. Fatherhood Throughout the course of the millennia, the First Spinjitzu Master grew old. Feeling his time would soon come to an end, he soon married an unnamed woman and fathered two sons with powers over the four Elements of Creation. The eldest, Garmadon, with power over the forces of Destruction, and the youngest, Wu, with power over the forces of Creation. He taught them the art of Spinjitzu and how to harness their Elemental Powers, with the hope that the two would represent the balance. One day, he went fishing with his sons and told the impatient boys to have faith after they didn't catch a fish. The First Spinjitzu Master was then pleased when Wu caught a big fish and told his oldest son to maintain faith. While he was looking over the Golden Weapons outdoors, Wu lost his katana in a sparring match with his brother, and Garmadon ventured over the wall to retrieve it. When Garmadon did not return, the First Spinjitzu Master got worried and went out to look for him, eventually finding his son near some bushes, wounded and extremely ill. The First Spinjitzu Master attempted to heal Garmadon's wound, learning that he had been bitten by a strange viper. Garmadon lashed out at his father by stating he hated him and blamed Wu for it as he was shocked by this behavior. Unknown to anyone at the time, the viper who bit Garmadon was the Great Devourer, and its venom would steadily corrupt Garmadon into a ruthless, power-hungry villain that wants to make the world into his image. The First Spinjitzu Master would create two scrolls that contained secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu. It was most likely he who created the art in the first place. He deemed the Scroll too dangerous and when Wu and Garmadon returned home late, after initially questioning them, he soon sternly told them off when they wanted to read the Scrolls. He was furious with his sons when they disobeyed him and used the Scrolls to defeat Aspheera and hid the Scrolls. The Book of Spinjitzu told a different story about the Scroll, where the First Spinjitzu Master caught Garmadon reading the Scroll and took it from him and ordered they never touch the Scroll. He apparently knew of it's lure as he hid it from Garmadon as if he knew his elder son would want to read it again. The First Spinjitzu Master also told Wu of the Never-Realm once, where he described it as the most distant and coldest of all the Realms in creation and told him to never step foot in it, saying that no method from Ninjago that could allow for interdimensional travel could work there and noted even he was barely able to escape from the Realm. At some point, he constructed a tomb underneath the Endless Sea to serve as both his final resting place and a sanctuary to hide the Realm Crystal from falling into the wrong hands. To ensure that only a true Spinjitzu Master would be able to find it, the tomb was guarded by three deadly traps which required the Sword of Sanctuary from Cloud Kingdom to safely traverse. Before he departed, the First Spinjitzu Master promised to leave a clue leading to the tomb to his sons, and inscribed three clues on his staff. Death When Wu and Garmadon were young men, the First Spinjitzu Master charged his sons with the duty to guard the Four Golden Weapons from those who would misuse their power. In his final moments, he sealed himself in his tomb and died peacefully beside a waterfall, with the Realm Crystal in hand. Legacy His remains would eventually be found centuries later by the Ninja, whom sought to protect the Realm Crystal from Morro. However, Morro would recover the crystal from the Ninja and would go on to unleash his master, the Preeminent, onto Ninjago. During the Day of the Departed, Wu returned to the ruins of the Monastery of Spinjitzu and drank a cup of Remembrance Tea in his honor. In the Realm of Oni and Dragons, the First Spinjitzu Master's legacy is known by the Dragon Hunters. Upon learning that Twilight, Cadance, and Luna were Elemental Masters, Iron Baron deduced that they had been taught by the Master himself. Wu eventually begins regaining his memories, including one of his father teaching him and Garmadon how to fish, giving him the lesson to "have faith", which gives Wu the motivation to trust Heavy Metal. Furthermore, after fully regaining his memories, Wu reveals to the Dragon Hunters that he is the son of the First Spinjitzu Master, and Iron Baron takes advantage of the revelation, knowing that a blood relative will surely allow him to gain the Dragon Armor. After reaching Firstbourne's Nest, Wu explains to Iron Baron that Firstbourne had seen the goodness in his father's heart, and therefore allowed him to ride her, unlike Iron Baron, in whom Firstbourne sensed darkness. Firstbourne eventually senses the goodness in Wu, and allows him to wear the Dragon Armor, the same armor that his father wore during the war between the Dragons and Oni. Wu became the Golden Dragon Master, and wore the armor in a final fight against the now-reborn Overlord. After the final battle, Wu kept the armor, continuing his father's legacy. The First Spinjitzu Master's legacy was not entirely good, however. After the Overlord was resurrected with the knowledge of a darkness threatening Ninjago, Equestria, and the other realms, he was so desperate to protect them that he made sure no one would not intervene in his quest to unite Ninjago, Equestria, and the other realms and gain his full power. Although the Overlord was, in a twisted way, honoring his arch nemesis' legacy by protecting all he had created, his actions caused more harm than good. Lloyd, the First Spinjitzu Master's grandson, would ultimately defeat the Overlord with the help of the alicorns and the Overlord passed down the responsibility of defeating the upcoming evil to Lloyd and the alicorns, therefore indirectly entrusting to Lloyd and princesses the task of protecting his arch nemesis' legacy. After the ninja and the creatures of Equestria defeated the Oni, the First Spinjitzu Master summoned Lloyd to the afterlife and proceeded to thank and praise him for having done so much for Ninjago, giving his grandson kind and complicated words regarding life and the future before bowing before Lloyd. He offered his grandson a choice: he could come with him to the Departed Realm and find peace and happiness or he could return to the living world and be the Green Ninja once again. Lloyd takes the latter option and the First Spinjitzu Master send his grandson back to the living world by teleporting one of the petals from the afterlife and having it float over Lloyd to resurrect him. Personality Although the First Spinjitzu Master's personality has yet to be fully revealed, it is made clear that he was a benevolent individual. His goodness was greatly respected by all who knew him. The First Spinjitzu Master also did not practice favoritism, as he loved both his sons equally and Wu continued to defend him from Garmadon's bitter belief that Wu was always his favorite. He also seemed patient and kind, gently lecturing Garmadon and Wu when they failed to catch even a single fish. His impartiality is also demonstrated by choosing to side with neither the Dragons nor the Oni in their unending war with one another. This shows his compassion, as his hybrid nature would have tipped the balance of power, and possibly resulted in the outright genocide of either species. Abilities and Traits *'Golden Power' - The First Spinjitzu Master was the first humanoid user of Golden Power, which was the source of his phenomenal power. Perhaps the most powerful character in the entire series, only being rivaled by The Overlord, the First Spinjitzu Master's power was sufficiently great to wield all the Four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu at once and Garmadon has stated that the power of the First Spinjitzu Master could move mountains. Even the Oni, including the Omega, who is shown to be more powerful than his arch nemesis' with his full potential, still would not dare attack Ninjago until his power had disappeared. He also managed to single-handedly defeat the Overlord and his Stone Army eventually in a great war by splitting Ninjago in half, destroying the Overlord's physical body and leaving him trapped in the Island of Darkness and sealing away the Stone Army in an ancient tomb. He had fully mastered the use of all the four main elements: Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Ice and could bestow them to others, as he was the one who gifted the Elemental Masters with their use. From his heritage as a hybrid of both the powers of the Oni and Dragons, he could command the power of Creation (most notably as the Tornado of Creation), and the power of Destruction, which he had at the highest levels, as he was capable of creating something out of nothing while other users needed materials to create and his Creation powers were so great that he had the power to create an entire realm, having single-handedly created Ninjago, while his Destruction powers could be used to destroy and erase anything and surpassed even the Omega, the leader of the Oni. He also had access to the power of Energy to use it as offensive power by manipulating energy and blast green laser blasts. *'Soul Control' - Through currently unknown means, the First Spinjitzu Master was able to summon Lloyd's spirit to him after he had helped stop the Oni and was also able to return Lloyd back to the living world after finishing their talk. *'Teleportation' - While in his afterlife, the First Spinjitzu Master could teleport around while coaching Lloyd on the meaning of life and the future. *'Longevity (Decelerated Aging)' - Due to his Oni and Dragon heritage, the First Spinjitzu Master was able to live for several thousands of years. This trait was later passed down to his two sons who have lived for over a thousand years. *'Supernatural Combat' - The First Spinjitzu Master was clearly an exceptional martial artist in both armed and hand-to-hand combat, having been the one to develop the martial art of Spinjitzu and he was known to have wielded the Golden Weapons masterfully. He had a Spinjitzu fighting style unique known to him alone, which was called the "Golden Dragon." The First Spinjitzu Master was also a highly capable teacher, as under his tutelage, both of his sons would become excellent fighters in their own right. *'Enhanced Intelligence (Enhanced Wisdom)' - The First Spinjitzu Master was known to be extremely wise and intelligent. His intelligence was displayed by how when the time came for him to die, in order to prevent anyone from traversing the Realms, the First Spinjitzu Master decided to hide the Realm Crystal in his tomb and cleverly encoded the clues on his staff and created three cunningly laid out deadly traps that the Ninja had difficulty cracking. The First Spinjitzu Master was an exceptional weapon crafter, having been the one who shaped the Golden Weapons from the gold of the Golden Peaks before using the Temple of Light's powerful elemental energies to empower them. The First Spinjitzu Master was also equally capable in creating complex machinery as well as using them, as he was the creator of the Golden Mech and was able to use it without fail during his war with the Overlord. *'Shapeshifting' - Although never shown, the First Spinjitzu Master is half Oni and therefore able to shapeshift at will into any creature he desires. Weapons The First Spinjitzu Master was the only one who could wield the power of the four Golden Weapons at once (until Dark Magic gave Lord Garmadon the same ability), and he likely wielded them all in combat. In "The Stone Army," he is pictured with a glowing sword of pure energy, similar to the Elemental Blades. He piloted the Golden Mech in battle against the Overlord. His relationship with the Golden Dragon is unclear, but he was likely either its original possessor or capable of summoning it. Passively, the First Spinjitzu Master kept with him at least two staffs, one containing the clues to his tomb that was passed to Wu, and another made of gold that was placed in his tomb's second test. It was revealed in "Radio Free Ninjago and Equestria" that he co-created and wore the fabled Dragon Armor. Appearances ''LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Masters of Friendship'' Pilot Episodes *1. "The Mare in the Moon" (pictured) Season 1: Snakes and Galloping Galas *8. "Dragonshy" (flashback) Season 2: The Friendship Continues *28. "The Stone Army" (pictured) *31. "Last Train to the Dark Island" (mentioned) *35. "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master" (mentioned) Season 3: Rebooted *43. "The Curse of the Golden Master" (pictured) *52. "The Legendary Friend" (mentioned) Season 4: The Princess of Friendship *??. TBA Season 5: Marks of Possession *79. "Grave Danger" (remains) Season 6: The Changing Effect *87. "A Christmas Tail" (mentioned) Specials *"Day of the Departed" (pictured) Season 8: Sons of the Overlord *118. "The Oni and the Dragon" (pictured) *123. "Game of Masks" (mentioned) Season 9: Hunted *129. "Iron & Stone" (mentioned) *130. "Radio Free Ninjago and Equestria" (mentioned) *133. "The Gilded Path" (flashback) *134. "Two Lies, One Truth" (mentioned) *135. "What Lies Beneath" (mentioned) *136. "The Weakest Link" (mentioned) *137. "Saving Faith (flashback) *138. "School Raze: Lessons of Friendship" (mentioned) *139. "School Raze: Magic Destiny" (mentioned) Season 10: March of the Oni *140. "The Beginning of the End: The Darkness Comes" (mentioned) *163. "The Ending of the End: The Fall" (mentioned) *165. "The Fate of Lloyd" (vision) Season 11: Rainbow Roadtrip *176. "Never Trust an Alicorn" (flashback) *177. "Under Siege" (mentioned) Trivia *Although he has been mentioned and shown in flashbacks in several episodes, his face is only shown in drawn pictures. *His first true debut in the television series was in "Grave Danger", when his skeletal remains were shown holding the Realm Crystal. *The First Spinjitzu Master's appearance changes. For example, in "The Mare in the Moon", he has a standard hair piece; in "Dragonshy", he has a braided ponytail; and in "Grave Danger", he has a full beard. *Tommy Andreasen revealed that the First Spinjitzu Master was nearly immortal and lived for thousands of years. Wu and Garmadon inherited similar longevity, as they have both lived for several hundreds of years. **It is unknown if Lloyd also inherited this. If so, he would be the longest-lived of the human Ninja. Zane is a robot, so he is potentially immortal. **As explained by Mistaké, the reason for this is their Oni blood. *It is possible that he could utilize the secondary Elements. *His origins were revealed in Season 8. **He originated from the Realm of Oni and Dragons. **Being "the child of light and darkness", it is likely that the First Spinjitzu Master inherited his powers from the Oni and the Dragons (inheriting Golden Power, Creation, and Energy from the Dragons, and Destruction from the Oni). *The First Spinjitzu Master, the Omega, the Overlord, and Firstbourne are four of the most powerful characters in the series. **Out of all the aforementioned characters, the First Spinjitzu Master may be the most powerful, as he successfully sealed away the Overlord and his Stone Army and his very presence kept the Omega and the Oni from invading Ninjago. **Although the Overlord claimed to be more powerful than his arch nemesis, it was clearly a mere boast. The Omega could defeat the Overlord with ease yet still feared the First Spinjitzu Master and this was already indicated by how the Overlord needed the use of his full power and intense concentration to utilize the power of Creation to create the Colossus and required the use of several objects from the environment to shape it while the First Spinjitzu Master required no materials and could create an entire realm, meaning he at the very least was far more powerful than the Overlord in terms of creation. **The Omega was deeply afraid of the Golden Armor, which emanated the power of the First Spinjitzu Master. *His voice is heard for the first time in "The Gilded Path". *His true name is unknown, as he is only ever referred to as "the First Spinjitzu Master." This may be because while many know his legend, there are very few alive old enough to have known him in life. **For unknown reasons, despite probably knowing their father's name, neither Wu or Garmadon has stated the true name of the First Spinjitzu Master, likely out of respect, but even when Garmadon was bitter at his father due to the Devourer's venom, he never revealed his father's true name. It may be because he simply had gotten used to calling his father "the First Spinjitzu Master" or may not have known his father's actual name at all. **It is also unknown whether Mistaké is aware of his true name but like with his sons, she never mentions it, although given that she had knew him longer than his sons, it can be assumed she was aware of it and just never got the chance to say it until her death. *While it is known he was a hybrid of the Oni and Dragons, what exactly the circumstances that caused his birth to be possible, and why he looked like a human remains a mystery. *It is unknown how the First Spinjitzu Master wielded all four Golden Weapons in combat all at once because in all the flashbacks and the appearance of his remains in his tomb, he is shown to have two arms. In the Tale of the Oni and the Dragon, he is seen pulling the four weapons into his Spinjitzu tornado. **It could be that the First Spinjitzu Master could telekinetically control them, thus not needing to have four arms to use them. Or as he is half Oni, he could have the ability to shapeshift to make new arms for himself. *In "A Christmas Tail", it is revealed that A Hearth's Warming Tale is the story that he previously read to his two sons, during the past Christmas season. Gallery LEGO_Ninjago_First_Spinjitzu_Master_vs_Overlord.jpg|The First Spinjitzu Master battling the Overlord